Using exposure compensation

Ever go to a shoot and noticed that all your photos seemed to be slightly over exposed or under exposed even if you had your light meter right in the center? Well, it’s easy to fix that problem with a built-in feature in many Canon dslrs called Exposure Compensation… Don’t worry… it’s really simple. Just a few steps and you’re good to go.

So what is exposure compensation?

Exposure compensation is a feature for calibrating / compensating the light meter in the camera in photographic situations that may cause the readings in the light meter to result in a less-than-optimal image. These such situations may involve the use of filters, shooting in uncommon lighting conditions, or intentional under-exposure or over-exposure of shots.

In video mode, cinematographers use exposure compensation to compensate for changes in film speed or the shutter angle. (what is shutter angle?)

How to Set Exposure Compensation

Note: If you usually shoot in manual exposure mode (M), exposure compensation won’t work… AEB will be the only function you can control. Exposure compensation can be set if you use on Tv, Av, or the P mode in your Canon Dslrs.

To compensate the exposure value:
1. Turn on your camera and set the Mode Dial to Tv, Av, or P modes.

2. Go to the shooting settings in Menu and select Expo.comp./AEB

3. Use the thumb dial on your canon slr to choose a compensating exposure value that is right for your shot. A bit of test of shots would be helpful.

4. Press the Set button.

5. Start shooting. (You will notice this symbol such as + – 1/2 or + – 1 1/2 in your photos that indicate that exposure compensation has been performed. )

To cancel exposure compensation, set the exposure compensation amount back to 0.